In Response to the New York Post

Since the New York Post is still piling on the New York Road Runners, Mary Wittenberg, and runners in general, I’m going to continue defending them.

First, let’s all be clear that the NYRR is a nonprofit, but not one dedicated to fund-raising for a particular cause. Rather, it is dedicated to promoting the benefits of running and fitness. Here’s the NYRR’s complete mission statement: “New York Road Runners (NYRR) aims to empower individuals of all ages and abilities – beginners and competitive athletes, the young and the elderly, adult professionals and underserved schoolchildren – to improve their health and well-being through the power of running and fitness.” This is all completely fair and square.

Other organizations like Team in Training do exist to raise funds for worthwhile causes like blood cancer research. Of course Team in Training would have trouble reaching its goals without exciting, big-city events like the NYC Marathon, which last year helped such organizations raise $34 million for various causes.

I’d be more-than-happy to be making Wittenberg’s salary – $500,000 – but it’s not outlandish for a smart attorney in New York, neither of which I am. Besides, I’m told by a solid source that her compensation represents a median salary for similarly-sized nonprofits in New York City. The NYRR isn’t one of those little, family-supported nonprofits. Its many services and events throughout the calendar year couldn’t be produced by a small, amateur outfit.

Second, let’s accept that race cancelations happen all the time. The NYC Marathon just happened to be the biggest yet, the most expensive (for many participants), and one flying in the face of a regional disaster named Hurricane Sandy.

In June 2011, Sean Ryan, director of the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon, wrote an informative race-cancelation article for Road Race Management. In it, he revealed that 42 of the 162 race directors he polled had seen one of their events go bye-bye. The vast majority canceled due to dangerous weather, as you’d expect. New York City canceled, in part, due to the after-effects of dangerous weather.

But the Marathon also canceled for political reasons because Mayor Bloomberg reversed his previous support and eventually yelled “Uncle.” He did this, presumably, when his advisors told him public opinion across the city had turned roughly 99 percent “focus on Hurricane relief” and 1 percent “let the Marathon continue.”

In 2011, Ryan found two race directors who attributed their cancellations to “lack of political support.” One of these was the 2003 Washington, D.C. Marathon, scheduled for March of that year with 8000 runners. The D.C. Marathon was canceled, believe it or not, by the FBI, which knew the Iraq War was coming soon (March 20, 2003). Apparently the FBI didn’t want people running hither and yon in D.C. when politicians, generals, security organizations, and others were meeting to pull off a huge, coordinated effort.

Third, you don’t really think the New York Road Runners or Wittenberg had much control over the Marathon’s cancelation, do you? That would be like blaming any individual worker at Long Island Power Authority for the long delays in restoring electricity. Some things are way more powerful than race directors and road running organizations. Like, for example, hurricanes and mayors.

Again, I’m not saying the Road Runners couldn’t have performed better. I still don’t understand why they didn’t communicate more, more often, and more clearly with those entered in the Marathon.

But they didn’t cause the hurricane. Don’t control the Mayor. And can’t bend popular opinion in the face of human misery.

The NYRR got caught in a one-time (let’s hope), no-win situation. Others seem determined to pile on, but I’m not one of them. I’ve seen the great good created by the organization, and others with similar missions, and I know there’s much good still to come. They deserve our support, not our scorn.

Here’s an excellent viewpoint from 800/1500 runner Liam Boylan-Pett of the New Jersey-New York Track Club. His teammate Julie Culley was hoping to make her marathon debut in New York.

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